The present invention relates to a disc loading apparatus that has the capability of simplifying the assembly while improving thinning and reducing the number of components. With a disc loading apparatus according to the present invention, a portion of a top panel of the frame is designed to be a second mounting unit and another portion of the top panel to be a first mounting unit, the upper surface of the second mounting unit is sagged downward more than the lower surface of the first mounting unit, notches are provided appropriately at the steeped unit between the first and the second mounting units, the second mounting unit is a portion of the disc guide, the interlocking mechanism is mounted on the upper surface of the second mounting unit, and the pair of disc detection members is mounted on the lower surface of the first mounting unit, and these detection members are arranged throughout the lower surface of the first mounting unit and the upper surface of the second mounting unit through the notches.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A disc loading apparatus, comprising: a frame ( 5 ); a disc guide ( 32 ); a pair of disc detection members ( 45 , 46 ) mounted in said frame providing detection units ( 52 , 53 ) respectively; an interlocking mechanism ( 47 , 48 ) mounted in the frame so as to rotate these detection members in synchronization; and a roller ( 178 ) mounted in the frame so as to clamp a disc in cooperation with the disc guide, and feed said disc by a rotational operation; wherein said pair of detection members rotate in the widening direction of the mutual gap of the detection members while each of the detection members is pushed to the circumference of the inserted disc; and the disc position and disc diameter are detected by the rotation amount of the pair of disc detection members, and disc clamping by the roller and the disc guide according to the disc position and the diameter, and the roller rotation are controlled, wherein said disc loading apparatus further comprises: a top panel ( 17 ) provided in the frame; a second mounting unit ( 28 ) formed on a portion of said top panel; a first mounting unit ( 29 ) formed on another portion of the top panel; a stepped unit ( 30 ) formed between the first and second mounting units by sagging the upper surface of the second mounting unit downward more than the lower surface of the first mounting unit; and a notch ( 31 ) formed in said stepped unit; wherein a portion of the disc guide is constituted in the second mounting unit, and the interlocking mechanisms are mounted on the upper surface of the second mounting unit; the pair of disc detection members is mounted on the lower surface of the first mounting unit, and these detection members are arranged throughout the lower surface of the first mounting unit and the upper surface of the second mounting unit.
2. The disc loading apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the notch has an end to regulate the rotation range of at least one of the disc detection members.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
March 11, 2008
March 15, 2011
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